


How do you say “I love you” in Japanese?

by knightstemplar



Category: Young Justice (Cartoon)
Genre: F/M, Japanese, Marriage Proposal
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-22
Updated: 2019-11-22
Packaged: 2021-02-25 23:40:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 539
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21523855
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/knightstemplar/pseuds/knightstemplar
Summary: If Asami is happy to teach him, Tye is more than willing to learn.
Relationships: Asami Koizumi/Tye Longshadow
Kudos: 9





	How do you say “I love you” in Japanese?

**Author's Note:**

> Let’s pretend I actually know my kana well and I’m simply flexing my language skills.
> 
> (My Japanese keyboard is quaking right now.)

“People don’t really say ‘I love you’ in Japan,” Asami tells him after he had asked, “Not in the same way you do here.”

“No?”

“It’s like…” she taps a finger on her chin, carefully considering before finding the right words, “Show, don’t tell, right?”

“Can you teach me?” he asks. _I want to do right by you_ , is at the tip of his tongue, though it is left unspoken. 

“Of course,” she replies. Her smile is so sweet, he likes it. He likes it a lot. 

* * *

1\. 恋 ( _koi_ ) ⇒ Material love. 

“ _Koi_? Like in Koizumi or koi fish?”

“Wrong _koi_!” she says, humming,“If I told you, that there’s a boy in my class, that I like,” she says, “I’d use _koi_.”

“Is there?” he asks with instant regret, “A boy you like, in your class, I mean?”

“No,” she replies and gives him a secretive smile, “Not in my class.”

_Does this mean I_ koi _your smile? Does it?_

* * *

2\. らゔらゔ ( _ravu ravu_ ) ⇒ Lovey dovey love.

“It’s not anything formal just for fun, if you’re young. We might as well start easy, if you want to learn the real deal later.”

“ _Ravu ravu_?” 

“Your r’s are too hard! Softer, softer!”

_Softer, softer. I wanna be softer for you._

“Don’t roll your r’s!” she shows him, pointing her finger at her tongue, hovering below the roof of her mouth, “See? It’s easy!”

* * *

3\. 好きだよ ( _suki da yo_ )・大好きだよ ( _dai suki da yo_ ) ⇒ For when you like, really like, and love. 

a) l like...

“ _Aisukureemu daisuki_!”

“‘I like ice cream’?”

“Correct!” she grins, “You’re getting better.”

Everything at the tip of his tongue seems to be falling out, nowadays.

“ _Kimi ga egao ga suki da_ ,” he tells her, because he likes her smile and wants her to know.

“You really are getting better!” she laughs, not even bothering to cover her mouth with her hand. 

b) I really like you.

“ _Tai, daisuki_!”

They haven’t even dated for that long, and she is dropping the L-bomb already? Didn’t he just learn that they show, don’t tell, in Japan?

“Ah,” she notices his confusion, “in that context, it means really like. I really like you.”

“ _Tai suki_ you too?”

“ _Dai_! It’s _dai_!” and her laughter make him feel warm.

He feels lucky, that the boy she liked wasn’t in her class.

“ _Daisuki_.”

c) I love you.

“ _Daisuki da yo_!” she tells him. 

“I _suki_ you too,” he replies without missing a beat. 

“I love you, with the strongest _dai_.”

“L-bomb status?” he asks. 

“L-bomb status,” she replies, giving him a thumbs up.

It’s simple and it’s easy. 

* * *

4\. 愛してるよ ( _ai shiteru yo_ ) ⇒ I love you.

“Tye?”

“Hm?”

“ _Aishiteru_.”

“ _Kimi mo aishiteru yo_.”

“Really?”

“Really,” he replies, “I want to do right by you.”

If he wants to do right by her, why can he never be the one to first to confess anything?

* * *

At last he’s the first to say something. 

“ _Aishitemasu_.”

“Tye, what are you joking around for?” 

“I’m not. I’m not joking.”

“Oh! Ah. I love you, I do.”

5\. 愛してます ( _ai shitemasu_ ) ⇒ Let’s get married, I love you so much.

**Author's Note:**

> If anyone’s interested to read more in depth about the Japanese language and culture (especially if you want to know how to say “I love you” in Japanese without scaring your potential partner away), I’d suggest visiting NihongoShark or FluentU, they explain it really well!


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